ErgoTech Lightweight Forearm Crutches By FDI (Size: 4'4-6'7) 1 Pair/2 Crutches Blue

I broke my fibula a few weeks ago and have been non-weight bearing. I still more at least 3-4 more weeks of non-weight bearing. I wanted to give forearm crutches a shot because the underarm ones my doctor gave me were uncomfortable. Here is my review after using these forearm crutches for several weeks now. My pros and cons most compare these crutches vs underarm crutches. This is the first pair of forearm crutches I've ever used, but overall I really like them.PROS-More lightweight than forearm crutches-These still put a lot of strain in my hands, but alleviates strain on my wrists compared to underarm crutches-They look nice, I even coordinated their blue color to match my outfit-Makes going up the stairs easier with one leg-I was able to attach the ice spikes from my underarm crutches to these (Wowww breaking a leg during a bad Minnesota winter sucks btw) if you do not use ice spikes, you are going to slip on the ice, but that's the same of all crutchesCONS-There's a slight learning curve when switching from underarm to forearm crutches, but it only takes a day or two of practice to get the hang of it-The forearm piece doesn't close over your arm, so if you need to use your arm, you'll need to rest the crutch against something so it doesn't fall-Adjusting the size: I didn't have a huge problem with this but it was a little hard the first time so you may need help. I found it got easier the more times I did it-The piece that locks the height setting in place is a piece of plastic with a metal rod. I worry about the long-term durability of this piece (they did include one extra with the crutches, but if the extra piece ever breaks, you'd be out of luck.) I will update this review if this ever breaks on me.-You can't really carry much with these. I found carrying a plate of food for example to be much easier with underarm crutches

I bought these to use after having a bunion removed. A friend loaned me a pair of the Drive Medical forearm crutches which are also sold on Amazon, and they were great. However, they're tough to use if you have a bulky sweatshirt on because the forearm loop if fairly narrow. I also didn't want to risk ruining her crutches, so I bought these. The open cups seemed very convenient, and they are, HOWEVER, if you are using these to move quickly and reach forward too far with the tips, the blue forearm cups can get pushed down by leverage. That forces them away from your forearm, and you could fall. That is much less likely to happen with more traditional forearm crutches because they wrap around your forearm. I was faster and completely comfortable on the Drive Medical Crutches immediately. These take more skill caution.The ErgoTech pair I was sent did include a pair of short shoelaces with a couple of spring clips that you can see in the picture. I tried to show what I meant by them levering away from your forearm with the second picture. There's too much leverage to use your wrist muscles to prevent yourself from falling if that happens and they slip a little. The strings do help in that they prevent the crutch from completely levering away from my arm if I extend a little too far forward, but it's a string, so in that situation, it's not as safe or comfortable as the Drive Medical crutches rubber coated metal arm band. That said, the shoestring loop is super convenient because I can just let go of the crutch if I need to sign something like a credit card slip. With the Drive Medical crutches, you have to remove your arm completely and rest them against something. If they fall to the floor while you are signing or doing whatever you needed to do, it's inconvenient. Not too bad for me. I can actually walk without the crutches. I'm just slow because I have to be careful about putting my foot down gently. But if a crutch falls to the floor, I can easily bend down and pick it up. If you can't do that due to a more extensive injury or procedure, adding a similar loop to the standard style forearm crutches would be a good idea.The grip on the ErgoTech is squishy. I was going around NC States campus during an open house last weekend, 2 days post op, and my palms got a little bruised by the hard Drive Medical grips. Bicycling gloves or not being in a rush would have prevented that, but the ErgoTech grip is a bit more comfortable.If ErgoTech designed a 3/4" quick adjust strap for these instead of the string, they'd be even better, but I still like them. I'm a week post op today and I'm mostly using just one ErgoTech crutch around the house. It's a bit like a super secure cane. It helps on the stairs and keeps my dogs from stepping on my exposed foot because I just stand on my other foot and use the crutch for stability. Ultimately, I find the ErgoTech crutches to be more comfortable and convenient than the Drive Medical version, but not nearly as stable. If you need crutches in a situation where you really aren't allowed to put any weight on a limb, I wouldn't recommend these. If you just need some added stability, say after an ankle sprain or a bunion surgery, I think they're very helpful.

Fabulous. Broke my foot 2 weeks before flying to Peru for vacation and am non wt bearing on that leg for 2 months. They're lightweight, sturdy, the cushioned handles help ease that pain, the forearm supports are good but I added Velcro straps at the top to keep my arms secure with the crutch. Your heavy duty crutch has this feature and it should be added to these ( I originally bought them but these served my needs better)The height/ leg post has a lot of holes which makes sizing accurate. I use these in combination w a knee roller and can get just about anywhere. The end tips are good. I've had no trouble with slipping in rain or various floors, stairs etc. I'd bought the heavy duty tips recommended, carried them with me for 3 weeks but I'm returning them. The original tip serves me well.

These are good crutches but I'm only giving them 3 points because they are extremely difficult to adjust. If you're in a situation where you need crutches, you don't want to have to use a screwdriver to exert pressure to pry a ring attachment off, so you can adjust the crutch height. You don't want to have crutches that require you to exert such pressure that to get it off, it ends up flying off across the room--luckily not lost! Absolutely ridiculous. A friend came over with good biceps and even he could not get the ring off without a lever and a lot of grunting pressure. Just stupid design!

These flex too much for heavy people. I'm 250lbs, and I was not confident enough to put my full weight on them. I'd stay away if you are over 180. If you need these, the last thing you want to do is fall again because of cheap crutches.